


On the Road

by jolybird



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coach adventures, Gen, Kinda Sort Of Reincarnation Au, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 04:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10983597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jolybird/pseuds/jolybird
Summary: Thrown together by chance, a group of strangers slowly realize that this coach trip might be a bit more eventful than they were planing on.





	On the Road

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Reverse Merlin Big Band 2017](http://merlinreverse.livejournal.com/)!
> 
> Huge thank you for side_steppings for being a VERY patient artist and for creating an amazing piece of art that was SUCH FUN inspiration for this! & shout out to side_steppings and narlth for being fantastic mods and hosting this event. I had such a blast writing this. <3
> 
> Before you read--check out the [art](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10984098)!

10:16

 

Her purse slipped off her shoulder for the third time in the past two minutes and so Morgana just let all her bags drop to the ground in a huff. She was tired and the man in front of her had been arguing in circles with the coach driver for an absurd amount of time. There were only four people in line  _ including her _ and he was making it seem like forty. 

“Do you need help with that?” The man behind her in the queue asked in a thick French accent and she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she turned and told him coolly that she had it under control. His mate next to him laughed and he only glanced over at him, exasperated. 

As the blond man in front of her was finally allowed on the coach, Morgana gathered up her purse and her two big suitcases (one contained only blankets, a mirror, and other glamping necessities so she really didn't deserve the glare she had gotten at customs when she shuffled through). She dragged them over to the frail old coach driver who waved her over to put her bags in the under couch storage. He then merely glanced at her ticket before letting her on. The blond man who had been arguing with him for no less than ten minutes glared at her from the middle of the empty coach. She picked a seat on the same side as him, nearer to the front and sat down. 

The two French men came on shortly after and sat two rows in front of her on the opposite side of the aisle. The coach driver wandered off, her eyes trailing after him as he tottered out of sight.    


“You were on the ferry with us weren't you?”

Morgana glanced over to see the lanky French man talking to her in a Welsh accent. Only one of them was actually French then. 

“Yes, I’m going glamping with my friends in Clyde Muirshiel and I was outvoted when I went to book my plane ticket. They said it wasn't _ in the spirit of glamping _ and they booked me a coach before I could protest.” 

“We’re going to my Uncle Gaius’ wedding.” he shared, completely unprompted. 

“It’s not for a few weeks still but he’s tricked us into helping him close his antique shop. He’s moving back to Wales.” the other added and Morgana turned towards them; it looked like she had found her entertainment for the coach ride. 

“That’s nice you’re doing that for him.” 

The Welsh man shrugged, “I'm Merlin by the way. And this is my flat mate, Lance.” 

“Morgana. Where do you live in France?”

“Bordeaux.” Lance said, pulling his backpack onto his lap so he could dig through it. “Merlin and his Uncle had a research project with the university and they adopted me somewhere along the way.” 

“We make him carry everything is what he means.”

“And take care of finances.” 

“How could I forget the finances.” Merlin smiled and rolled his eyes fondly.   


“You always do. That's why they have me.” 

These two were absolutely darling, “I’m living with my mother in Paris for the summer.” 

“Is she a fashion designer?” 

“She’s the Nursing Director at Hôpital des Enfants Malade.” 

“Wow,” Merlin said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs, and then he launched into a thousand questions about her mother’s career. Morgana smiled, at least she wouldn’t be staring out the window the entire trip, and didn’t even notice when the coach driver returned and started driving until they hit a bump in the road and she nearly dropped her phone. 

 

* * *

 

11:27

 

“See--” Lance said, pointing at the collapsible side table on the screen, “that’s unnecessary.” 

Morgana had been explaining the concept of glamping to Merlin and Lance for about fifteen minutes already and they both had  _ such _ entertaining reactions. “That’s what really sets the mood of the whole tent--it brings it from over-prepared camping to glamping.” 

“Yeah the whole aesthetic can be summed up in the side table. I bet this is in one of your bags.” 

It was so she just laughed. 

The coach started to slow and Morgana glanced out the window to see they were pulling into the car park of a small convenience store. She glanced around for where the petrol station was but didn’t see one. 

“Must be hungry.” Lance whispered and Merlin nodded. 

“Actually, yeah.” He stood and raised his voice, “can we get off?” 

“Fifteen minutes.” the coach driver said and Merlin started digging around in his bags for his wallet. 

Morgana picked up her own purse to look for her charger, her phone was dying and she had a plug next to her seat. Her passport was there, her wallet, seven tubes of lipgloss, and a faded, crumpled piece of paper that she slid back into it's pocket quickly, but no charger. She frowned. It must have been in one of the bags. 

“Excuse me--can I--” she said as she started to stand.   


“The doors already open.” The driver said as he waved for her to get off the coach. Morgana squeezed past Merlin who darted out after her and shot into the store for food. 

Her bags took up a truly silly amount of room in the compartment compared to everyone else but there were only three other small bags so she wasn't concerned. After messing up her carefully organized bag, Morgana found it wrapped around the lamp’s wire. She sighed and untangled it. 

“Moving?” a woman asked, walking up to her. She was carrying a small bag that she put in the compartment next to Morgana’s. 

“Camping actually.” 

“Oh excellent.” She smiled, “I used to go all the time. We weren’t quite as prepared as you of course.” 

“Are you getting on?" 

“Yes, it’s quite an odd place for a pick up but that’s what my ticket said so here I am.” 

She showed her the ticket and sure enough the name of the convenience store was printed on it. She hadn’t quite known coach travel was so strange.    


Once they were back on the bus and Merlin came bundling out of the store with two bags filled to the brim, Elena texted her absolutely freaking out about how much sunscreen she should bring. The poor girl burnt on cloudy days and so Morgana helpfully told her a suitcase full. She didn’t like _that_ one bit and Morgana was almost upset that she was distracted by the text because a couple of minutes after they were back on the road the woman who joined them at the convenience store absolutely snapped at the blond in back. 

“--so I don’t know why you’re being such an absolute pompous prat.” she finished and Morgana glanced up too see that Merlin and Lance both looked a little in love with her. She was seated a couple rows in front of them, on Morgana’s side and she was frowning rather pointedly. When Morgana sat up and glanced back she could just see the man blushing a little and glaring out the window, headphones in his ears. 

“Wow, Gwen.” Merlin said because of course he already knew her name, “that was almost mean.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry. That was just so rude. He had no reason to say those things.” 

Morgana opened her mouth to be a gossip and ask what he had said but then Sophia was texting her saying she was upsetting Elena and she got pulled into several different conversations at once. 

 

* * *

 

 

12:46

 

“Yeah. I'm scouting for new products for the cafe. We have a little shop off to the side and we like to stock independent businesses.” Gwen smiled. She was headed to Glasgow to help her brother pack up his things from Uni and then the two of them were going to drive back home together while scouting new products. It was a family/work trip and she had almost convinced Leon to come with her. He had argued that between Elyan’s Uni things and all the products she was going to bring back for the others to sample there’d be no room for a third person in Elyan’s car. He was probably right but she was still a little upset he hadn’t come. It was always nicer to travel with friends. 

“What kind of products do you sell?” Kilgharrah, their coach driver, asked, glancing at her in the mirror. 

She shrugged, brushing her hair off her shoulder, “Oh you know, jams, honeys, local ciders and wines, soaps. It’s sort of like an eclectic farmer’s market right now.” 

“I know a place nearby that makes these fantastic whiskey pickles.” he said like that was a perfectly normal thing to say. She had never even thought about combining the two, but it sounded like something Elyan and Sefa both would be into and that warranted checking it out at least. 

“Oh, that’s...different. What’s it called? I’ll write it down and I’ll check them out.” 

“I can do one better.” Kilgharrah said, glancing at his mirrors and changing lanes, “it’s about lunchtime, we can afford to stop for a bit.” 

“Oh.” Gwen said, thoroughly taken aback, and rested her phone on her lap. 

“Did he say lunch?” Merlin whispered to Lance, who she watched suppress an eye-roll; Merlin had been snacking since she got on the couch so she couldn’t really blame him. Kilgharrah took the first exit and Gwen pulled out her phone to update her brother. 

No one except Merlin and Lance spoke until they turned off the main road and started down a winding side street through farmland. Then dark haired woman who Gwen had bumped into when she was putting her things away started whispering with Merlin from her seat and the two laughed after a moment. 

She looked so vaguely familiar that Gwen wasn’t sure if she had known her in school or if maybe she had come to the cafe before. The woman hadn’t said anything or looked at her oddly though so that helped convince her that she wasn’t being a complete arse. 

They slowed and then pulled into the car park of a little distillery/cafe/farm. Their bus took up a comical portion of the car park and she could see one of the waiters pause in the outside dining area to glance at their bus apprehensively. 

Kilgharrah hopped out of the bus and hobbled over to the cafe. 

“Why are we stopping?” the blond asked, his elbows resting on the chairs on either side of the isle, leaning forward a little. Gwen turned away from him, still miffed, but Merlin turned, smiling. 

“Lunch.” 

He looked like, well, he looked like he didn’t know  _ what  _  to make of that and then he shrugged, “Well, I’m in no hurry to get to Glasgow.” 

“Oh--” Gwen smiled, as she watched Kilgarrah gesture back to the bus and the waiter pick up several menus, “he’s getting us all a table. How sweet.” 

“This isn’t a school trip,” the blond scowled and Gwen shot him a glare. 

“You’re right. You don’t have to sit with us if you don’t like. You’re perfectly welcome to stay here or get a table on your own.” 

“No, I,” he stammered and then stood up straight and gestured to all of them, “after you.” 

Gwen grabbed her purse and followed after Morgana. She stepped off the bus to a light breeze and a text from her brother to text her in twenty minutes. ‘ _ Or what, you’ll drive down here and fight the coach driver?’ _ she replied sarcastically and he sent her back a glaring emoji. 

Kilgarrah ordered several appetizers for the table to share and this was all just so odd that Gwen could do nothing but go along with it. She hadn’t known this coach ride was going to come with a tour guide as well but she really wasn’t going to complain, especially since the others were all just rolling with it as well. 

Gwen ordered a small cup of soup and a glass of cider and then dug into lunch. It was a gorgeous Spring day and the past few months had given her hardly any time to herself: she was going to take this moment and savor it. Who knew the next time she’d get something this close to a vacation again, summer was such a busy time for the cafe and her father was getting older so she didn’t like him working too much. 

The pickles ended up being really good and she’d probably be lucky if the jar she was going to buy lasted the car ride back home; Elyan would probably demolish them before tomorrow night. 

“So, Arthur.” Merlin said, leaning forward to look at the blond, waving his fork in the air lazily, “why is it you’re not in a rush to get to Glasgow?” 

The blond, Arthur, took a sip of whiskey before answering, “I’m going to see my Uncle. He’s hosting an engagement party for my father and it’s sure to be a complete and total bloodbath,” he took another sip, “so, needless to say, I’d prefer if I missed it entirely. Hence taking the coach instead of a plane.” 

“Does he not like your father’s fiancee?” Merlin asked, Gwen took another pickle and smiled at Kilgharrah who looked absolutely delighted she liked them. He was very nice and well meaning and hopefully he wouldn’t get in trouble for this little excursion, surely he had deadlines and pick ups to make? 

“That’s another story entirely.” Arthur sighed grandly, waving his cup a little. 

“We still have almost twenty hours ahead of us, you might have to tell it to keep us all entertained.” 

Arthur shrugged, “maybe” and Merlin laughed. Gwen caught sight of Lance’s disbelieving expression as he glanced between the two of them and she snorted. 

“Excuse me,” she said quietly and quickly pretended she hadn’t been staring. 

They finished lunch to Merlin and Lance giving Arthur wedding pointers and Arthur cryptically mentioning how his father’s wedding (if it actually happened) wasn’t going to be the beautiful, intimate gathering that Merlin’s uncle’s was going to be. Morgana enjoyed it immensely, looking like she would break out some popcorn at any moment. 

Once they all finished eating, their waiter, a tall man who looked like he could lift their entire table if he desired, came over with the check and Arthur surprised them all by putting his card down and insisting on covering it for them. Merlin and Lance fought him for several moments, Gwen tried (and failed) to slip their waiter some money to cover her portion and Kilgharrah and Morgana just said thank you. Their waiter still seemed a bit unsure of what to make of them but answered all Gwen’s questions with enthusiasm. 

Kilgharrah all but forced the poor man and Gwen to trade information and by the time they were done talking business (he was the owner’s son as it turned out, thus actually qualified to talk business), everyone else was already packed back onto the coach. 

“That was nice.” Merlin said, kicking his feet up on Lance’s lap. Gwen nodded, patting her purse to show that it had been successful for her too. She ended up buying several jars of pickles and two bottles of wine and stuck them under the coach with the rest of her things. 

“You convinced Perce to go into business with you?” Lance asked and, honestly, Gwen didn’t know  _ where _ he had learned his name. It was written in her purse and she had already forgotten it. 

Nodding, Gwen took her seat as the coach started back up and Morgana tried to fit her two jars of pickles into her purse, “we’re probably going to stock their pickles and whiskey both if we can figure out shipping. Possibly their wine as well, but I bought some for me, not the shop.” 

“This was nice, thanks for stopping.” Merlin told their coach driver and he smiled smiled and pulled back out onto the road.

 

* * *

 

 

15:26

 

Merlin was shaken awake by the bus pulling into a parking lot that had seen better days. He shut his eyes again and sighed, they had been traveling for so long he was going to say hello to his aunt, uncle and mother and then  _ sleep _ . Someone sat in the seat next to him and he opened his eyes to see Gwen smiling, “We’re stopping. Do you want anything?” 

Merlin smiled sleepily back and stretched, “a tea please?” He started digging around in his bag but Gwen gave a soft  _ tsk _ and waved him off. 

“I’ve got it. How do you take it?” 

“Black or anything herbal with a little sugar. I’m not really picky. Thank you.” 

Gwen smiled and slipped out past Arthur who was trying to detangle himself from his bag and sweater. Merlin almost felt sorry for him. He really wasn’t that bad, just stressed about seeing his uncle. And he had bought them all lunch which was an incredible kind thing to do for a group of strangers. 

Arthur smiled at him as he passed and Merlin knew the way his stomach swooped and felt like the most ridiculous man alive. Why did the coach asshole have to be so stupidly attractive?

Kilgharrah walked off the coach after Gwen and Arthur and met an older couple as they neared the coach, “Isolde, beautiful as ever.” 

“You’re a bit early today,” she smiled and Merlin just leaned back into his seat because, had that lunch been planned the entire time? It hadn’t been included in the itinerary he had gotten, that he was absolutely positive of. He glanced to Morgana and Lance but both of them were engrossed with their phones. Lance was reading one of the trashy romance novels he swore he despised.

Merlin watched as Kilgharrah and the couple spoke in soft voices for a moment and then they handed him tickets, he didn’t even glance at them, he just offered his hand to the woman as she climbed onto the bus.    


She caught his eye and smiled as she stepped on the bus but she and the man sat in the seat behind the driver and the three spoke quietly to themselves until Gwen and Arthur returned. Arthur made a curious face at Merlin after he passed them and, yeah, this was the strangest coach trip he had ever been on. Gwen sat down next to Merlin and handed him his tea. 

“Thank you,” he smiled, taking a sip and bracing himself as the coach took off again. 

“So, what kinds of shows do you like?” 

Lance glanced up from his phone and so Merlin launched into the tale of their most recent ill-fated marathon of Penny Dreadful. 

 

* * *

 

 

17:02

 

It had started to rain at some point without Merlin noticing but he didn’t much mind. He was warm and dry inside the coach and a little rain wouldn’t slow them down. 

It was a good thing Lance was asleep in the seat in front of him though, he always got a little apprehensive when the roads were wet. 

He was a little concerned for Morgana, scattered showers were forecasted for the next couple of days but he didn’t think she was the type to be discouraged by a little rain. Judging by the size of her bags alone, her friends who lived closer to where they were camping were probably bringing adequate cover so that the rain wouldn’t bother them in the woods either. 

Merlin glanced out the window right as a man appeared jogging over the horizon. Kilgharrah made a small humming noise and the coach slowed a little, but it was probably just Merlin’s imagination. Poor guy, caught out in the rain. 

The man jogged down the hill, through the field of sheep like it was the most natural thing in the world. At one point he nearly slipped and fell, and awkwardly hopped around to avoid a patch of mud or something but he just laughed to himself and continued towards the road. 

The coach was seriously slowing now and Arthur glanced to him, frowning in confusion before going back to whatever he was listening to (Merlin was fairly certain it was a novel at this point). It came to a stop right as the man reached the road and the doors opened for him. 

“Just in time.” The man said as the doors closed behind him. He didn’t hand Kilgharrah a ticket just sort of smiled at him and then began walking down the aisle, pushing his damp hair away from his face. If Gwen’s Pick-Up location seemed sketchy, Merlin didn’t know what to make of the man literally jogging across a sheep-filled field to meet them on a winding country road. 

He took a seat across from Merlin and he ran his fingers through his hair again and breathed for a couple moments. “Okay.” he whispered, orienting himself, and then pulled out a bag of crisps from his backpack. 

Reaching across the aisle, he held out the bag, “Crisp?” Merlin accepted out of sheer curiosity. He didn’t seem bothered at all that he was dripping wet. 

“Running late?” 

“Perfectly on time, you didn’t have to wait and I didn’t have to chase after you.” 

“Are all the stops like this?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not, this is a respectable coach line.”     


Merlin laughed, unable to tell if he was being serious or not and took another crisp. Gwen’s pick up at been an convenience store and the couple who had left at some point while Merlin had been napping had been picked up at a _petrol station_. 

“So where are you headed?” the man asked and Merlin launched into the story of Alice and Gaius’ wedding for the third time that day.   
  
  


* * *

 

 

21:22

 

Gwen woke up to the sound of a crowd of people all talking at once. It was completely disorienting after the hours of near-silence. 

At first she thought they had arrived but a glance to her phone told her it was only 9.30. She tried to catch  Kilgharrah ’s eye but he was preoccupied with actually being a driver for once. She glanced to the others, to Merlin and Lance and Morgana but they were all asleep. 

Time moved differently when you were traveling. 

All the new people seemed to know each other, they were all speaking in low voices, occasionally standing up to ask a question to someone sitting a few seats away from them. 

“Mab,” a blond woman seated in front of Gwen called to someone behind her, “what--” she glanced down, saw Gwen was awake and covered her mouth, ”sorry--did I wake you?” 

“No it's alright, I didn't mean to fall asleep in the first place.” 

She smiled and then looked over Gwen again to Mab sitting somewhere behind her, “remind me I’ve got to ask you something before we get there.” She glanced back down at Gwen, “ _ Swefe nu. _ ” 

Gwen yawned and pulled the sweater she was using as a blanket back up over her shoulders. She leaned back in her seat and shut her eyes, falling back asleep almost instantly. 

 

* * *

 

 

23:47

 

Morgana awoke to see the lights of Carlisle out the window. She frowned--they had passed Carlisle hours ago--and then caught Kilgharrah’s eye in the mirror. He gave a small smile and--honestly--Morgana didn’t even care. Not right now. Let him drive in circles around England, she still had a couple days before she was supposed to meet the others and he was harmless. Pulling her scarf around her tighter, she leaned back in her seat. 

The trip so far had been nice and relaxing, which was more than any road trip she had taken before in her life. The coach was nearly empty, just her, Gwen, Merlin and Lance, Arthur and the man who had appeared out of the rain and sheep to share crisps with Merlin and entertain him for a few hours before passing out. 

Kilgharrah kept glancing to him in the mirror, no doubt pissed that he had gotten his coach muddy and the seat wet. 

But that wasn’t her problem. She had never had so much space to herself on public transportation before (but that was mostly her fault for riding the underground at rush hour for the majority of Uni) and it was a dream. 

Everyone was either keeping to themselves or sleeping and so she pulled out her headphones and started clicking through her music. She deserved this break after working nonstop for months and she was going to enjoy every last moment of it. 

 

* * *

 

 

1:11

 

Arthur sighed, watching the distant lights of a town roll slowly past him. He looked though his reflection to focus on the dark shapes outside. For a couple hours more he wanted to forget who he was, where he was headed and what awaited him there. When Agravaine first insinuated he was interested in hosting the party he had tried to convince his father he’d host instead. Planning an engagement party for his father and Helen was the last thing he wanted to do but it would have probably been less painful than the passive aggressive mess that awaited him. His father had shot him down when he offered though, citing that finals were a more important thing to focus on. Helen had actually looked a little touched at the offer which was good because neither of them thought too highly of the other on a _good_ day. 

Merlin groaned and sighed, startling Arthur from his thoughts. He watched as Merlin’s feet dropped off the seat and out of sight and then Merlin reached across the aisle to Lance. As he leaned back, he noticed Arthur and gave him a tired smile. “Can’t sleep either?” he asked, even though Arthur had definitely heard him snoring a few minutes ago. Arthur shrugged and Merlin pat the seat next to him and waved him over. 

Arthur glanced around, saw that they were the only two awake, and then got up to sit next to Merlin. He had the indent of the bag he had been using as a makeshift pillow on his cheek. 

“So,” he said, suppressing a yawn, “tell me why this engagement part is going to be a bloodbath.” 

“I honestly might be headed to the Red Wedding.” Arthur joked and then he frowned, he didn’t want to ruin Merlin’s good mood with the story of why his Uncle hated his father, “and it’s not a fun story, it’s vindictive and dark.” 

“You don’t have to tell me if it’ll upset you. We can talk about what they’re doing with Sansa’s character instead. But if you want, I’ll listen.” 

Arthur looked at his tired, sincere eyes, lips turned down seriously. He was a stranger, but, _what the hell_. “My uncle is my mother’s brother. He blames my father for her death.” 

Merlin swore under his breath, “holy shit, that’s terrible.” 

Arthur shrugged and then proceeded to tell more about his family than he’d ever told anyone before, “my mother couldn’t get pregnant for years and they went to all sorts of doctors and clinical trials. Eventually she got pregnant and she died during childbirth.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Merlin whispered, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. 

Arthur shrugged again, resting his head against the seat, “so, with  _ that _ kind of history--” 

“Offering to host an engagement party is highly suspicious.” Merlin finished for him, “I’m so sorry, this whole thing is terrible. No wonder you’re in no hurry to get there.” 

“Helen, my father’s fiancee, is completely clueless. I tried once or twice to warn her but she didn’t want to hear it.” 

“Is she the stereotypical second wife in a coming of age film?” 

“I think hey based the trope off of her. I think she wants to be an evil stepmother but seeing as I’m 23, nearly 24, she’s a  _ bit _ too late for that.” 

“Does she try to ground you?” 

“Once.” Arthur confessed and then laughed at the memory of it. Merlin smiled and squeezed his hand again. “Sometimes I stop by to watch her try but usually I just avoid the both of them.” 

Merlin let go of his hand and reached into his bag to pull out some chocolate, offing Arthur some. 

He wasn’t quite sure how late (or early) it was but he had already spilled his family’s darkest secrets so Arthur took a piece, “what about you? You and your uncle seem close.” 

Merlin smiled, impossibly fond, “we are. He’s actually my great uncle but he moved in with us when my dad died when I was eight.” 

“I’m so sorry.” Arthur said, it was a peculiar feeling to watch their situations switch. 

Merlin shrugged, “it was a fishing accident and his body was never recovered. So Gaius was what kept us together. There’s always the thought, the possibility of him walking through the door. I used to come up with so many stories. But it was me, Mum and Gaius growing up and we’re all still close. I’m moving back in with Mum and Gaius and Alice are going to be right next door actually. We’re going to share a garden. Alice and Mum have already started it.” 

“When did they meet? Alice and Gaius?” Arthur asked, trying to steer the conversation back to cheerful territory.

“When they were in Uni actually. They lost touch for years, Alice was working abroad and Gaius had his hands full with teaching. But about a year and a half ago Alice moved back to England. Love finds a way.” 

Arthur smiled, “So--you mentioned an antique shop at one point, didn’t you?”” 

Merlin’s eyes lit up, “yes!” 

Arthur didn’t know much about desks or books or knickknacks that sounded like they should be haunted on principle but Merlin had him hanging on every word. 

 

* * *

 

 

4:41

 

Morgana woke to the sound of someone laughing and it took her a minute to remember where she was and who she was with. She pulled out her phone 

“Arthur Pendragon.” Merlin laughed and Morgana’s phone slipped from her hands and bounced onto the seat next to her. 

“Honestly.” Arthur scoffed, his voice was light a teasing, but Morgana’s face went pale. 

She stood, knee resting on the seat, and gripped the top of the chair with white knuckles, “What did you say your name was?” 

Merlin and Arthur both flinched at her sudden appearance and Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “Arthur Pendragon.” 

“As in Uther Pendragon?” Morgana pressed on and when Arthur nodded her grip on the armrest became a little painful, “you’re Uther Pendragon’s son?” 

White noise rang in her ears as he nodded. She glanced around and then steeled herself and turned her gaze back to him. She had the weirdest feeling Kilgharrah was watching them but she didn’t spare the glance. 

For a moment she was speechless, for a moment she was sixteen again and she was in the basement digging through the chest and she had the letters in her hands, the letters from a man who wasn’t her father saying he couldn’t be in Morgana’s life, he had a wife and a son of his own to take care of. He couldn’t give all that up because her mother had gotten pregnant. For a moment she was absolutely stunned, looking at the man she had wondered about when she was a child, the son of her father, the man her mother cheated on her true father with. 

Growing up she had fantasized about what she would say to that boy from the letter, anger over Uther choosing him and abandoning her, warmth, he was her only sibling after all. 

“Morgana…” he began, and it was the look of concern on his face and the way he went to stand to come over to her that made her blurt it all out. 

“Uther Pendragon is my father. You’re my half brother.” 

“What?” Arthur looked almost adorably confused as he sank back down into the seat next to Merlin, “How old are--actually, no, you’d have to be…” 

“I’m twenty four.” 

“Are you sure?” he asked, his face turning a bit ashen. Merlin’s lip twitched like he was suppressing a smile but she knew he didn’t think she was unsure of her age.

Ripping the bandaid clear off, she tried to make her voice as kind as possible, “They both cheated. My mother told me before she died. I was a teenager, I read emails and letters he sent her. He wanted nothing to do with me.”

“Oh,  _ fuck _ .” Arthur whispered and Merlin placed his hand on his leg. Arthur looked at him a little desperately and then he turned back to Morgana. “You sort of remind me of him, you know. I thought you looked a little familiar and  _ fuck _ you sort of look like him.” 

Arthur went silent for several long moments and then he looked back to her, “do you want to come to his engagement party with me?” 

“Arthur Pendragon, that’s absolutely evil.” she laughed. He smiled wide and, shit, that was weird, his smile was almost familiar to her. he stared at him for a moment, Merlin was sitting absolutely silent next to him but Morgana couldn’t even comprehend the presence of anyone else in the coach. 

Without looking away from him, she reached into her purse, unzipped the small compartment in the back and pulled out the crumpled, nearly disintegrating piece of paper. She handed it over to Arthur. “I carry this around with me to remind myself to be as brave and strong as my parents. This nearly tore them apart but I watched them my entire life fight for each other and work together to make their relationship work. It’s corny, I know, but we all get our strength from somewhere.” 

Gingerly, Arthur took the paper and he and Merlin both read it, “this is his handwriting. I don’t know what I expected but--this is his handwriting. This is his signature. I never knew.” 

“He didn’t want you to. He didn’t want to hurt you.” 

“But you’re his daughter and he just--abandoned you.” 

“I had my own father. I didn’t need him. Please don’t be upset with him. I probably shouldn't’ have said anything but--finally meeting the Arthur from that letter--I just couldn’t stop myself.” She was careful to keep her voice low, she was pretty sure the others were asleep. 

“No, I’m, I’m glad you did. You’re my sister. I’ve been an only child all my life.” 

“You better be careful, his father’s fiancee is an evil stepmother.” Merlin spoke for the first time since Morgana’s revelation and she laughed despite herself. Arthur nudged him, light and teasing and Morgana leaned forward so that they could whisper about her. 

Arthur handed her back the letter and she took his phone along with it. She put her number in it and added him to her phone as well, “Just in case.”

Arthur nodded, “I might need to hide out in the woods for a while.” 

Morgana rolled her eyes, “Oh my friends would  _ love  _ that, especially if they found out you were my half-brother.” 

Arthur grimaced and both her and Merlin laughed. 

 

* * *

 

 

5:30

 

The sun broke over the horizon, flashing bright through the trees and Lance squinted at the sudden brightness. The coach jerked like they had hit a pothole and then jerked again. The driver muttered under his breath but didn’t look concerned until he saw Lance looking at him. 

The coach slowly slowed and then came to a stop at the side of the road. 

Gwaine, woken by the rattling of the coach, stood up and sighed, sounding altogether not surprised at all when he said, “coach broke down.” 

Lance kept his mouth shut but Morgana whispered something that made Gwaine laugh. 

“Should we wake them?” Gwen asked, looking from Arthur who had his face pressed against the glass to Merlin who was half buried under his coat. 

“They were up the entire night giggling. Let’s just let them be.” 

“They were not.” Gwen laughed and Morgana put her hand on her hip. 

“What do you think woke _me_ up?”

She laughed again, “well I hope they exchange numbers and they track us down for the wedding.” 

Lance must have made a face because all three of them stifled their laughter. Gwaine walked up the aisle to the front and he and Kilgharrah went to check the engine. When Lance went to follow after them, Gwaine waved him off. 

He sank back down into his seat. “I’m a bit surprised there’s still only six of us.” Gwen told him and Morgana, “I thought for sure I heard a crowd talking at some point during the night. I slept straight through though, which was a surprise.” 

“Yeah, you and Lance were asleep nearly the entire night. I’m super jealous--I kept waking up. I’ve been up since four actually, Arthur and Merlin both  _ just _ fell asleep." She looked like she wanted to tell them something more but decided against it as Gwaine walked back on the coach. 

“We’ve called a mechanic, they should be here soon but listen, I know the area and if you’re up for a little hike I know a great place to watch the sunrise.” 

Lance didn’t say anything, he just let Gwen and Morgana glance to each other. Walking off into the countryside with strangers in the dark wasn’t high on his list of things to do this morning. 

“I want to watch the sunrise.” Merlin piped up because of course he would. Lance chuckled under his breath as Merlin and Arthur detangled themselves from each other, they both looked terribly sore and Lance had absolutely no sympathy for him. 

“We’ve broken down?” 

“We should be good to go by the time we get back.” 

“You take the coach often?” 

Gwaine shrugged the question off and looked out the window, “if you want to see it, we better hurry.” 

Arthur looked to Merlin and then he followed after Gwaine off the coach. 

“Tu t’en sors?” Lance asked quietly and Merlin laughed. 

“Yeah I’m fine.” 

“Are we really going to go marching through the mud to see the sunrise?” Gwen asked, her voice a disbelieving laugh.   


“Come on, Gwen, where’s your sense of adventure?” Morgana teased as she tugged her from the coach. 

Lance seriously thought about sitting back down but Merlin was smiling and he grabbed his hand to drag him after him. 

“Would you like me to stay with you?” Gwen asked Kilgharrah as Merlin and Lance hit the pavement. It was damp but they wouldn’t be walking in mud. Hopefully. 

“No, you go off and watch the sunrise and I’ll take care of this.” 

“Are you sure?” she protested, frowning in concern but Gwaine and Arthur were already heading into the woods. 

“I’ll be alright,” he smiled, kindly. 

“Come on,” Merlin dragged Lance into the grass and Gwen and Morgana took the end of their little group. Lance glanced back at them and they were both laughing. Seeing everyone confident and enjoying themselves calmed his nerves considerably. 

 

* * *

 

 

6:01

 

“You said fifteen minutes a half hour ago.” 

Gwaine laughed and otherwise ignored Morgana as he headed up yet another hill. Gwen’s feet hurt a little and she was a little worried about how far they were walking away from the coach. Lance looked apprehensive about everything but nothing had struck Gwen as malicious. She’d just be complaining as she helped her brother move his things out.

Morgana took a deep breath and so Gwen offered her arm as they started the hike up the hill. Every time she hoped it was the last one, she felt bad about leaving their driver to wait for the mechanic alone.

Morgana took her arm and together their climbed up the hill, “I should have brought some breakfast,” she laughed. 

Gwen reached into her purse without breaking their stride and pulled out a granola bar. 

“Gwen!” Morgana laughed, delighted and they split the bar between each other and Merlin who glanced back a little longingly at the sound of them unwrapping the package. 

“This is it I swear.” Gwaine smiled, as he reached the top of the hill and shielded his eyes from the rising sun. He looked over the land in front of them and Arthur and Merlin, who were right behind him both stopped short when they looked over the horizon. 

“Oh wow--” Merlin gasped, looking back to Lance who jogged to catch up with him. 

“Ouah…” Lance echoed him as Gwaine put his hands on his hips and just looked over the land, almost like he was proud of it. 

Morgana glanced to her and they hiked the last few feet and then they looked over the bog at the edge of a lake--sticking out from the grass and shrubbery and water was what looked like stone ruins. 

Gwaine smiled, “The lake is starting to dry up and the ruins appeared about a week ago. No one’s been out to study them yet.”    


The golden light gave the scene a sort of magical feel. Morgana held her arm tighter and didn’t look away from the sun rising over the horizon. 

“It’s a castle. I think there’s probably a bit buried under this hill as well, and the town was probably where the lake is.” 

Gwen frowned, unable to shake the strange feeling starting to build in her chest. 

It was beautiful yes, and incredible that after so many years they were finally being rediscovered, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this had all been in play for far longer than she could comprehend. There was a settled feeling in her bones, a familiarity with this highly improbable situation. She almost felt like she knew the hills and the sunrise and the strangers around her (although, after the coach ride they’d been through, she couldn’t quite refer to them as  _ strangers _ anymore). It was a weird feeling, to say the least. 

“Come on, follow me.” Gwaine said for the second time that day.

“Are we allowed down there?” Morgana asked, looking skeptical. 

“Of course we are.” he replied in a tone that sounded like he was talking about his home not centuries-old ruins. Oh, this trip was just getting stranger and stranger, she laughed despite herself. 

“If I get stuck in a bog you’re never going to forget it.” Morgana swore, holding onto Gwen as they made their way to the ruins and the boggy ground. Morgana was going to ruin her shoes but she didn’t seem to care at all. 

“Oh that’s not something I’d want to forget.” he smiled, and then led the way down into the ruins. Gwen glanced to Arthur who only shrugged, and then caught Merlin’s wrist as he tripped over air. 

There was something that she had forgotten, something she couldn’t grasp in the morning air. But with the sun shining bright and golden and Merlin and Arthur whispering to each other to her left, it wasn’t that important just yet. 


End file.
